Denison recognizes that employees have full lives outside work and that supporting those lives ultimately benefits both the employee and the institution. 

Denison offer generous work-life support for employees.

Time off benefits

Generous vacation time

Exempt staff receive 16.5–22 days annually, depending on their schedule, while non-exempt staff earn 10–20 days, based on tenure.

Floating holidays

Full-time employees receive three floating holidays per year that can be used flexibly, including as “snow days” or in emergency situations.

Nine recognized holidays

The university observes holidays including New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, plus potential closure between Christmas and New Year’s without requiring leave time.

Sick-leave accumulation

Supportive operating staff accrue sick days with no accumulation limit during employment.

Family support

Parental leave

Six weeks of paid parental leave for birth or adoption after one year of service.

Family illness time

Staff can use time off to care for sick family members or accompany them to medical appointments.

Adoption assistance

Up to $5,000 per adopted child for adoption-related expenses.

Educational benefits

Denison offers comprehensive tuition remission at Denison, GLCA exchange programs, and 10% cash assistance elsewhere. Full-time staff can take two academic courses per semester at Denison. Learn more in the benefits guide (link to pdf)

Professional development support

Off-campus course support for supportive operating staff pursuing work-related degrees, with upfront loans forgiven upon achieving a C or better.

Wellness and support

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to all employees and members of their households at no cost, and no annual enrollment is required. The Guidance Resources program provides confidential counseling, expert guidance and valuable resources to help you and your household members handle any of life’s challenges, big or small.

Fitness

Employees receive free access to the Mitchell Recreation and Athletics Center, including the Crown Fitness Center (equipped with over 100 pieces of cardiovascular and free-weight equipment) and group exercise programs (sessions typically include options like Yoga, Pilates, CycleFit, Barre, WERQ, and Zumba™). Employee dependents and family members are also eligible to use the recreation facilities under the employee benefits program.